Asceticism In Today’s Russia

The head of the Orthodox Church in Russia, the country famous for its penchant for expensive cars and an unsafe driving culture, called on his clergy to choose their vehicles “with modesty” and not to drink “holy sacraments” before driving.

The Russian Orthodox Church has been marred by scandals in 2012, some of which were vehicle-related. Social networks, popular with the Russian opposition and the country’s politically active middle class, have been inundated with photos of the clergy’s expensive cars.

In August, a monk identified as Ilya crashed into road workers in Moscow while driving his Mercedes SUV. He killed two people in the incident, leaving the scene without calling for help, said the police, according to state-run news agency RIA.

In July, Abbot Timofei, of the Church of Elijah the Prophet, got on the news after roadster BMW Z4 he was driving, carrying Maltese diplomatic number plates, crushed into two cars. He refused to take an alcohol test when police arrived, the police said. The Church later said he was driving the roadster as “a private person.”

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14 Responses to Asceticism In Today’s Russia

It is perhaps worth noting for irony’s sake that the Greek word for “private person” is “idiotes,” the root of the modern English word “idiot.” That would certainly describe the sort of driving in question.

The words of the Preacher ring as true for Our Lord’s Church as for Solomon’s kingdom:

“…I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun…

… There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction.”

Ah, yes – Senators David Vitter and Michael Crapo and Archbishop Cordileone do come to mind.
It’s not a problem unique to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Actually, there’s a pretty good rule of thumb about this: The more loudly a ‘Christian’ leader bangs the drum against the despised group of the week (blacks, women, gays, Jews, Catholics, liberal Christians, Democrats, whatever) the more likely he is to be corrupt in his ‘private’ life.

Yes, I have. While not actually holding elected office, he actually cares about poor people,. black or white,while the rest of us watch the unhinged rage in the eyes of Republicans as they demanded that the poor do the country the favor of dying quickly so that they wouldn’t have to wait any extra time at the doctor’s office when they had a cold. So I know who will “have my back” when things get rough.